Sacrificed to the Dragon

“He’s burning the city!” Lorena shouts. “Loriel! Do something!” “How? He’s just a boy of sixteen!” Loriel shouts back. “I thought you’re going to take care of him!” “He didn’t drink the poison!” Lorena exclaims. “Are you sure his parents are dead?” “Well, nothing lives without a head.” Loriel smirks. “Can we shoot him down?” “With what? We have bows and arrows and he seems to be immune to magic.” Lorena answers and shakes her head. “Loriel! This coup is going to fail if we can’t stop the boy dragon.” A third official storms the throne room of Loredan. “I got rid of King Athos and Queen Anthea! Do I have to do everything myself?” Loriel shouts angrily at his accomplices. “I don’t get to enjoy the throne for one bloody minute?” “You can enjoy it later!” Lorena shows her displeasure. “He destroyed the west wing of the palace, he burned half of the city and all the fields were charred.” “Call the mages council! Tell them the boy lost his mind, killed his parents and is destroying the city.” Loriel laughs deviously. The mages council consists of nine powerful wizards and they can combine their powers to overcome pretty much everything. After listening to Loriel’s explanation, they agree to help contain the young dragon prince. But the cost of such powerful magic is steep. They require a human sacrifice and it needs to be of pure blood. The dark magic they will perform on the request of the royal advisors demands a price to be paid. A palace maid is brought forth, a girl of only 18 years of age. They tie her to the pillar in front of the palace. They prepare the spell and combine their powers. But the young dragon prince is cunning and foils their plan. He swoops in and takes the girl. His long black tail wipes out the mages council and kills a few instantly. The rest burn alive in his fire. His anger is absolute and he glares at the royal advisors. The weaklings that tricked his parents to their deaths and took what is rightfully his. “You will pay the price a thousand fold. Keep the throne, but I demand a sacrifice on every solstice or I’ll burn the rest of you to the ground! I would rather rule an empty barren land than stay here with the lot of you.” The dragon lets them know and takes flight for the mountains. And he took the girl with him. A hundred years later... There is peace in Loredan. The forests are alive with the sounds of the animals and the fields are golden in the afternoon sun. The light reflects off of the many lakes in the area and one would assume to see a fishing boat out on the water. But there is none to be seen. The vibrant city life has drawn all the people on the streets. It is the solstice festival day after all. There are stands of merchandise and food all around the main square and all the smaller squares have a few stands too. There will be magic shows and music concerts later on. All the surrounding villages have flocked to the capital today. There is not a single Loredanian missing, they wouldn’t dream of it. It is the most important day of the year. Solstice day is a day of fun, joy, laughter and sacrifice. There is only one sacrifice every six months. A young and pretty girl. A virgin. It’s tradition to give one girl to the dragon every solstice, just to keep the peace. Nobody knows what the dragon does with the girl as none has ever been seen again, but it's a common belief that he doesn’t eat them. Many villagers don’t like it, because the girls are usually from their class. They understand the need though, because the dragon flies overhead on any given day, just to remind them of his existence. So, when the sun sets today, they will again sacrifice one girl to the dragon. The stone pillar is waiting for her in front of the palace. It sits on a small rise on the edge of the city. The magnificent palace is a golden background for the white stone and the girl dressed all white. There will be no mourning for the girl, only a party to celebrate a new lease on peace for Loredan.  There is a dark shadow on the mountain above. The huge black dragon sits there on the edge and he waits for the sun to set. He glances in the direction of the palace and the pillar is still empty. They have a little bit of time left, but maybe, just maybe, they will be late this time and he can burn the city to the ground. He grows tired of the game. Maybe it’s time to change the rules?